Institute

Founded in 1994, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin is one of the more than 80 research institutes administered by the Max Planck Society. It is dedicated to the study of the history of science and aims to understand scientific thinking and practice as historical phenomena.

People

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science comprises scholars across all Departments and Research Groups, as well as an Administration team, IT Support, Research IT Group, and Research Coordination and Communications team.

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The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) engages with the research community and broader public, and is committed to open access.

This section provides access to published research results and electronic sources in the history of science. It is also a platform for sharing ongoing research projects that develop digital tools.

Researchers at the Institute benefit from an internal library service. The Institute’s research is also made accessible to the wider public through edited Feature Stories and the Mediathek’s audio and video content.

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The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science frequently shares news, including calls for papers and career opportunities. The Media & Press section highlights press releases and the Institute's appearances in national and global media. Public events—including colloquia, seminars, and workshops—are shown on the events overview.

Asaf Goldschmidt

Visiting Scholar (Jun 2018-Sep 2018)

Asaf Goldschmidt received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently a Professor of East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University. He is currently the Director of the Confucius Institue in Tel Aviv University. His main research interest is history of Chinese medicine and science, history of the Song dynasty, history of public health, drug trade and consumption, and medical practice. His first book The Evolution of Medicine in China: The Song Dynasty, 960-1200, was published by RoutledgeCurzon Press 2008 as part of the Needham Research Institution Series. His second book Medical Practice in Song-Dynasty China: The Case Histories of Xu Shuwei (1080-1154), which is a full translation of Xu Shuwei’s 90 cases on Cold Damage disorders along with lengthy introduction, was accepted for publication by Springer as part of the Archimedes book series. His current projects focus on the history of the Imperial Pharmacy in China and on the history of medical case records.

Projects

CurrentCompleted

Medical Practice in 12th Century China as reflected in Medical Case Records